Star Trails of the Forbidden City

Photographer: Stephanie Ziyi Ye
Country: China

Beneath the celestial ballet of star trails that weave their way across the night sky, the Beijing Forbidden City stands as a testament to ancient celestial connections in this image captured in March 2022. Designed with a cosmic alignment in mind, the palace echoes the orientation of the North Star, also known as Polaris, a celestial anchor that has long guided navigators and symbolised steadiness in the sky. It was believed that the Emperor embodied the earthly representation of this pole star, a bridge between the realms of heaven and earth. In this harmonious one-hour exposure captured with a smartphone, the streaks of stars trace their nightly journey across the firmament, converging toward the North Star, reflecting the precision of both architectural design and celestial paths. The image receives an honourable mention in the category of Still images taken exclusively with smartphones/mobile devices.

Also see image in Zenodo: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10360019

Credit: